Dedicated to Dia, because she's the only one reading this anyway. :D
* * * *
Remus Lupin awoke slowly, bright lights cutting through the haze of pain that he had become acustomed to living in. His eyelids fluttered, then opened completely and he stared up into the sun, hating it even more than he had the day before. He hated his cell, hated his life, hated his captors . . . whoever they were. He had never been a man to hold a grudge, he had once been so forgiving but this endless torture, this constant torment he could never forgive.
The metal door creaked slightly and a tray of food was pushed through the thin slot. It banged down on the floor, the water sloshing out of the cup and nearly toppling over into the sand. Lupin's hand shot out and he grabbed the cup, not wanting to spill a single drop of the precious fluid that kept him alive. One cup a day, that was all he was ever given. And as the hot sun beat down on him from high above, he was forced to rely on that single cup of water to sustain him through the parching heat.
He leaned against the stone wall behind him, staring upward to the sun. His cell was small, round and buried at least fifteen feet into the earth. It was like living in a well, a horrible, dank well with a metal door and masked men who gave him food three times a day. There was no telling where in the world he was, it was impossible for him to see anything from the floor of his cell. All he knew was that it was very hot all day, so hot that he had taken to wearing nothing more than his shredded pants and occasionally, his shirt thrown over his head to protect him from the sun.
Six months he'd been in the hole, six horribly confusing months. He had marked the days on the wall, failing to see the humour in the the comparison to prisons of Azkaban, but he lost three days every month when he turned into the wolf. He lost those three nights, forgot to mark them in the pain that followed every turning. Those days were the worst, those were the days when he would miss his friends, even though James was dead and Peter had betrayed them all. During his time as the wolf he missed Sirius more than he ever thought possible. He missed Dumbledore and his aggravatingly wise comments, he even missed Severus Snape, for Merlin's sake.
Yet, out of everyone he'd ever known, he missed Cassandra the most. He knew she was in Azkaban, serving time for his kidnap and murder and yet he was stuck in his well, alive and being held hostage by black robed men who had only heard about Cassandra when the news came that she had been convicted. She didn't deserve to die because of him and it was that thought that sustained him . . . he had to stay alive long enough to get her out.
His days went by slowly, the seconds ticking by on an outside clock and he listened to this noise, trying to count the minutes as they passed. He lost count hourly as he fell asleep, or lapsed into a memory of some sort but he would awaken with a start and begin counting again. There was nothing else he could do to keep himself sane. Black robed men came and went, he rarely saw them, but he heard them passing by his door. They weren't Death Eaters, he had seen their bare arms during his first weeks, but they were something. Someone was employing them to keep him there, but for what reason he couldn't be sure.
Remus Lupin wasn't a strong man . . . he was sure he would be useless when it came down to the fight against Voldemort and yet he thought his imprisonment must have something to do with the Dark Lord. Who else would feel the need to keep a wizard prisoner?
The door creaked again and Lupin's light eyes went to it immediately, wondering what they could possibly be pushing through his door this time. A newspaper fell to the sand with a thud, dust flying up around it. He paused, then reached over and picked it up. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet and on the front was an old picture of Cassandra Harvey.
"Convicted murderer of Remus Lupin escapes Azkaban," read the headline. "Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were alarmed to find the cell of Cassandra Harvey empty when visiting her three days ago," the article began. "Both the Headmaster and Potions Master of Hogwarts were there on Ministry business, trying to reach the convict and extract information on the whereabouts of Remus Lupin's remains."
Lupin didn't need to read on to know what had happened. His dry lips cracked as he broke into a rare smile and he gently fingered the picture of Cassandra.
"Thank you, Albus," he murmured softly, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. "You got her out . . . thank Merlin."
"Where is she?" a harsh voice asked from the doorway.
Lupin didn't open his eyes, but his grin spread wider. A shimmering bead of blood spilled from his cracked lips and ran down his chin. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked.
"Tell us where she is, wolf."
"No."
"We'll find out anyway," the man continued.
"Then why bother with me?" Lupin asked.
The man at the door hesitated, then the tip of a wand slid through the slot in his door.
"Crucio."
Remus Lupin's world went black.
* * * *
"Six months," Sirius said thoughtfully, pacing Snape's office. "He's been gone six months. Where could they possibly be holding him that we wouldn't be able to find?"
"Somewhere outside of Europe," Snape replied, leaning back in his chair. "They know we'd find them too easily within the boundaries of the Ministry. They're not stupid."
"But who are they?" Sirius asked, pausing to glance at Snape. "We don't even know who they are."
"I'll bet my life that they're Death Eaters," Snape said.
Sirius frowned. "Do you think Voldemort would go to this much trouble to put away one wizard?"
"If he was a key player when it came down to the big war."
Sirius's frown deepened. "Remus? A key player? I don't know about that. He's a good guy and he'd do anything for the cause, but he's not exactly keen on starting a war."
"Who knows what the future holds?" Snape said vaguely. "Sybil's the only one who claims to be able to see and even I doubt the validity of her statements."
"Sybil Trelawney?" Sirius asked.
Snape nodded. "Yes, why?"
"Didn't she say something to Harry four years ago? When he was in third year, wasn't it? He said after his exam her voice changed and she predicted something about Voldemort."
Snape shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"It can't hurt to pay her a visit, can it?"
"I suppose not. But what are you going to do with her?" Snape asked, pointing to where Cassandra sat on his floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was rocking very gently and singing in a soft tone. Snape sighed. "Will she ever get better?"
Sirius nodded. "In time. After all, I got better."
"Right then. Do you want to stay with her while I visit Sybil?" Snape asked.
Sirius nodded again. "I can do that. Can I have the password to your chambers if someone should come in?"
Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then glanced at Cassnadra again and sighed. "Sugar quills," he mumbled.
Sirius couldn't help but grin at this. "What was that? Sugar quills? A candy, Severus?"
Snape glowered at him. "I'll be changing it the second I return," he snapped, then stood and wrapped his robes around himself. "When I come back we might want to find her something more fitting than my clothing," he said, gesturing to the large cloak Cassandra was wearing.
Sirius nodded. "First things first, Severus. See what Trelawney has to say."
"I doubt she'll have anything of merit," Snape said, "but I suppose it's worth a try. After all, it's not like we have any other ideas as to where Lupin might be."
* * * *
* * * *
Remus Lupin awoke slowly, bright lights cutting through the haze of pain that he had become acustomed to living in. His eyelids fluttered, then opened completely and he stared up into the sun, hating it even more than he had the day before. He hated his cell, hated his life, hated his captors . . . whoever they were. He had never been a man to hold a grudge, he had once been so forgiving but this endless torture, this constant torment he could never forgive.
The metal door creaked slightly and a tray of food was pushed through the thin slot. It banged down on the floor, the water sloshing out of the cup and nearly toppling over into the sand. Lupin's hand shot out and he grabbed the cup, not wanting to spill a single drop of the precious fluid that kept him alive. One cup a day, that was all he was ever given. And as the hot sun beat down on him from high above, he was forced to rely on that single cup of water to sustain him through the parching heat.
He leaned against the stone wall behind him, staring upward to the sun. His cell was small, round and buried at least fifteen feet into the earth. It was like living in a well, a horrible, dank well with a metal door and masked men who gave him food three times a day. There was no telling where in the world he was, it was impossible for him to see anything from the floor of his cell. All he knew was that it was very hot all day, so hot that he had taken to wearing nothing more than his shredded pants and occasionally, his shirt thrown over his head to protect him from the sun.
Six months he'd been in the hole, six horribly confusing months. He had marked the days on the wall, failing to see the humour in the the comparison to prisons of Azkaban, but he lost three days every month when he turned into the wolf. He lost those three nights, forgot to mark them in the pain that followed every turning. Those days were the worst, those were the days when he would miss his friends, even though James was dead and Peter had betrayed them all. During his time as the wolf he missed Sirius more than he ever thought possible. He missed Dumbledore and his aggravatingly wise comments, he even missed Severus Snape, for Merlin's sake.
Yet, out of everyone he'd ever known, he missed Cassandra the most. He knew she was in Azkaban, serving time for his kidnap and murder and yet he was stuck in his well, alive and being held hostage by black robed men who had only heard about Cassandra when the news came that she had been convicted. She didn't deserve to die because of him and it was that thought that sustained him . . . he had to stay alive long enough to get her out.
His days went by slowly, the seconds ticking by on an outside clock and he listened to this noise, trying to count the minutes as they passed. He lost count hourly as he fell asleep, or lapsed into a memory of some sort but he would awaken with a start and begin counting again. There was nothing else he could do to keep himself sane. Black robed men came and went, he rarely saw them, but he heard them passing by his door. They weren't Death Eaters, he had seen their bare arms during his first weeks, but they were something. Someone was employing them to keep him there, but for what reason he couldn't be sure.
Remus Lupin wasn't a strong man . . . he was sure he would be useless when it came down to the fight against Voldemort and yet he thought his imprisonment must have something to do with the Dark Lord. Who else would feel the need to keep a wizard prisoner?
The door creaked again and Lupin's light eyes went to it immediately, wondering what they could possibly be pushing through his door this time. A newspaper fell to the sand with a thud, dust flying up around it. He paused, then reached over and picked it up. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet and on the front was an old picture of Cassandra Harvey.
"Convicted murderer of Remus Lupin escapes Azkaban," read the headline. "Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were alarmed to find the cell of Cassandra Harvey empty when visiting her three days ago," the article began. "Both the Headmaster and Potions Master of Hogwarts were there on Ministry business, trying to reach the convict and extract information on the whereabouts of Remus Lupin's remains."
Lupin didn't need to read on to know what had happened. His dry lips cracked as he broke into a rare smile and he gently fingered the picture of Cassandra.
"Thank you, Albus," he murmured softly, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. "You got her out . . . thank Merlin."
"Where is she?" a harsh voice asked from the doorway.
Lupin didn't open his eyes, but his grin spread wider. A shimmering bead of blood spilled from his cracked lips and ran down his chin. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked.
"Tell us where she is, wolf."
"No."
"We'll find out anyway," the man continued.
"Then why bother with me?" Lupin asked.
The man at the door hesitated, then the tip of a wand slid through the slot in his door.
"Crucio."
Remus Lupin's world went black.
* * * *
"Six months," Sirius said thoughtfully, pacing Snape's office. "He's been gone six months. Where could they possibly be holding him that we wouldn't be able to find?"
"Somewhere outside of Europe," Snape replied, leaning back in his chair. "They know we'd find them too easily within the boundaries of the Ministry. They're not stupid."
"But who are they?" Sirius asked, pausing to glance at Snape. "We don't even know who they are."
"I'll bet my life that they're Death Eaters," Snape said.
Sirius frowned. "Do you think Voldemort would go to this much trouble to put away one wizard?"
"If he was a key player when it came down to the big war."
Sirius's frown deepened. "Remus? A key player? I don't know about that. He's a good guy and he'd do anything for the cause, but he's not exactly keen on starting a war."
"Who knows what the future holds?" Snape said vaguely. "Sybil's the only one who claims to be able to see and even I doubt the validity of her statements."
"Sybil Trelawney?" Sirius asked.
Snape nodded. "Yes, why?"
"Didn't she say something to Harry four years ago? When he was in third year, wasn't it? He said after his exam her voice changed and she predicted something about Voldemort."
Snape shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"It can't hurt to pay her a visit, can it?"
"I suppose not. But what are you going to do with her?" Snape asked, pointing to where Cassandra sat on his floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was rocking very gently and singing in a soft tone. Snape sighed. "Will she ever get better?"
Sirius nodded. "In time. After all, I got better."
"Right then. Do you want to stay with her while I visit Sybil?" Snape asked.
Sirius nodded again. "I can do that. Can I have the password to your chambers if someone should come in?"
Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then glanced at Cassnadra again and sighed. "Sugar quills," he mumbled.
Sirius couldn't help but grin at this. "What was that? Sugar quills? A candy, Severus?"
Snape glowered at him. "I'll be changing it the second I return," he snapped, then stood and wrapped his robes around himself. "When I come back we might want to find her something more fitting than my clothing," he said, gesturing to the large cloak Cassandra was wearing.
Sirius nodded. "First things first, Severus. See what Trelawney has to say."
"I doubt she'll have anything of merit," Snape said, "but I suppose it's worth a try. After all, it's not like we have any other ideas as to where Lupin might be."
* * * *
